>> that somewhere else luckily happened to be the united states. tavis: where? >> i got a visa from the university of new mexico. i flew with a dollars in traveler's checks in my pocket. when i landed, i was $5 short for my ticket. an american man behind me gave the $5. that was my first impression of america. that people are generous and helpful here. tavis: the extra $5 got you to new mexico. >> right. tavis: but when you get here, your english is not so good. >> yes, i tried to learn more, but i could not remember anything. tavis: so you soldiered to new mexico. it is one thing when you do not have any money, but you cannot speak the language. when you get to new mexico, how do you navigate your way through? how do you make this work? >> all right, first, i studied english as a second language. the connections to the homeland, i knew i could not go back. i knew i had to stay here. i stayed with my english teacher so that i could learn more english quickly, and then i observed that my english teacher could not find a job with a ph.d. in literature. tavis: that